If you’re looking for a fast paddling inflatable board that can be used for racing, the 12’6″ Tower iRace SUP is a model designed to give you the performance benefits of a hard racing board without sacrificing portability and convenience.
In this Tower iRace review, we’ll cover this board’s features and specs, construction, warranty, included accessories, and where to buy it.
Tower 12’6″ iRace: Board Overview
Measuring 12’6″ x 30″ x 6″ and weighing 27 pounds, the sleek Tower iRace offers excellent speed and respectable stability. With a total carrying capacity of 350 pounds, the 12’6″ iRace is capable of supporting heavier paddlers and it’s even a board that can be used to paddle around kids or your dog (although for this, we’d recommend a board with more stability like the 11’6″ BLACKFIN Model XL).
As far as the looks of this board go, it’s got a clean, retro design and is currently offered in black and red colorways. These colors stand out a bit more than the standard white and gray design that the company uses on other models like the popular Tower Adventurer 2.
We like the fact that the company gives you multiple color options with this model, and think the Tower 12’6″ iRace looks great on the water.
Construction
The manufacturing process used on this board is exactly like you see on all of Tower’s inflatable SUPs. The board is built out of tough drop stitch and military-grade PVC material which gives it outstanding durability and stiffness. Inflatable SUPs really offer the best blend of portability, performance, and toughness, and they’re a better choice than rigid boards for the vast majority of paddlers.
Features
The top of the Tower iRace iSUP features a diamond grooved traction pad which provides good grip and is comfortable to stand on. Also, conveniently located in the center of the deck pad is a heavy-duty carry handle which really comes in handy when you’re carrying the board back and forth to the water.
Just as you see with the company’s Xplorer 14′ and 9’10” Adventurer models, the 12’6″ iRace lacks a bungee storage area at the board’s nose which is a downside as there’s no place to secure your backpack, dry bag, and other gear. Despite the fact that this is marketed as a racing SUP, it would still be a good feature to include.
At the tail is a Halkey Roberts air valve which can be used with a wide variety of electric paddle board pumps as well as the included manual pump. There’s also a durable D-ring for attaching a SUP leash.
The bottom of the board features a single removable fin.
Tower iRace SUP Rating
- Construction
- Stability
- Features
- Versatility
- Speed
- Warranty
Specs
| LENGTH | 12'6" |
| WIDTH | 30" |
| THICKNESS | 6" |
| WEIGHT | 27 lbs |
| VOLUME | 350 L |
| MAX CAPACITY | 400 lbs |
| PRICE |  |
What’s Included
The Tower 12’6″ iRace comes with a rather basic SUP accessory bundle. In the box you’ll find:
- A high-pressure pump
- 3-piece adjustable paddle
- Repair kit
One of the major shortcomings of Tower’s paddle boards in our opinion is the accessory bundle, as it lacks the carrying bag and safety leash that you see included with other similarly priced boards. Companies like iROCKER SUP, THURSO SURF, and ISLE include much nicer accessory bundles and are a better value in our opinion.
Warranty
For added peace of mind, all Tower paddle boards include a 2-year warranty which covers manufacturer defects.
Where to Buy it
At the moment, you’ll find the red and black versions of the 12’6″ Tower iRace in stock at Amazon. We really enjoy buying gear from Amazon because they have great prices, excellent customer service, and a large selection of products.
Final Thoughts
The Tower 12’6″ iRace SUP is a board worth considering if you’re a paddler who is looking for an inflatable paddle board with improved performance. This board is not quite as stable as the longer, wider Xplorer 14′ or 11’6″ BLACKFIN Model XL by iROCKER, and it’s a model that is better for intermediate and advanced paddlers.
The construction of this board and the max weight capacity makes it a decent choice for all but the heaviest of paddlers.
We like the racy design of the board and the red and black color schemes both look great. It’s nice to have options when it comes to colors, and we’d like to see more colors offered by Tower in the future.
The main downsides to this board in our opinion are the lack of features (no bungee storage area, D-rings for gear tie-down points, raised kick tail, etc.) and the basic accessory bundle. With some improvements made to those areas, the 12’6″ iRace would be a much better value overall.
